Getting IT Right - Consulting

A client of ours asked his IT consultant to buy him a laptop so that he could get office work done at home. When the laptop arrived, he was unhappy. “The thing weighs ten pounds and makes my shoulder hurt,” he reported. “And it has a huge screen. I don't care about that - I just wanted a little laptop I could take home.”

In a meeting with a different client, our client's computer consultant said he planned for our client to host its own Website on the Windows Small Business Server he was selling them, installing, and setting up. I asked why. He “explained” that the client had Qwest DSL and because, “You can't get Qwest DSL to work on a peer-to-peer network” a Small Business Server was required. That consultant was just dead wrong about Qwest DSL. It was a stupid statement and my client ended up paying for a whole package of unneeded services.

Typically, in these situations, I have not found a way - tactful or otherwise - to tell a client that his/her IT consultant is incompetent and should be fired. But what I can do here is suggest some common-sense guidelines that will help you choose the right computer/IT consultant or fire the wrong one.

First, get the right specialist. That would not be my company, NetOutcomes. We specialize in Internet Marketing and Website development services, which are plenty challenging by themselves. So, we do not provide any computer/computer network consulting services.

The right specialist depends on what network you have. Many small businesses run on a peer-to-peer computer network. In this situation, a Mr. Fix-IT, Desktop Computer Services consultant is needed. If you hire a Windows Small Business Server expert instead, chances are he/she's going to recommend that you switch to (surprise?) a Windows Small Business Server network.

On the other hand, if you are already running Small Business Server, then get an IT consultant who specializes in that, not a Mr. Fix-IT guy. If your prospective consultant breezily says “Oh I do both [types of networking],” then keep looking. Each type of network is complex enough to require a person or even a company to specialize. The consultants I know and trust specialize in one or the other and don't try to do both.

Next, count years of experience. Even the brightest IT person benefits from years of experience. Experienced consultants may communicate better in plain English because they've had to learn how to do that. They may also have better established business practices. You may still succeed with a just-getting-started consultant, but the risks are greater.

Then, get references. Call those people. It's no guarantee, but chalk it up to due diligence. The wrong IT consultant can cost you thousands, or tens of thousands of dollars.

Now, THE BIG TEST. Determine whether this IT person speaks plain English. I was privileged to know a wonderful man, Ed Knapp, a physicist, who was the former head of the National Science Foundation. When I brought up the issue of geek speak with him, he said, “Dave, if a professional really knows what he - or she - is doing, they can explain it to you in plain English.” The IT professionals I know agree with Ed. So if you ask for plain English from your IT guy and you keep getting geek speak back, get a new consultant.

Above all, don't just tell yourself that you are “computer illiterate” or “just dumb about technical stuff.” And please, don't say this out loud to your IT guy. Some IT people use geek speak intentionally to baffle the clients and get them to go along with the recommendation. Some IT people genuinely try to do the right thing, but they just can't be bothered to figure out a plain English translation. They'll make even less of an effort if you confess that you are an idiot who won't understand, no matter what. You need to make a genuine effort yourself to understand, and you need a consultant who makes it easy for you to do that.

Another good principle is to always get a second opinion and cost details about major decisions. If your IT consultant tells you that you have to upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7 on all 19 machines in your office, ask why. Ask for the answer in an email, and get details about costs, and a plan for implementation. Or take your own notes at a meeting. Then, because this upgrade could have huge cost and other implications, get a second opinion. Your primary IT guy doesn't have to know that the day after she was in you brought someone else in and asked the same questions. Possibly, your questions will be better, too, because you've learned some of the lingo and issues by then.

Lastly, use common sense. If your gut is telling you that you hate the service you are getting, or that you're just getting bad service, you are probably right. Here are some warning signs. Your consultant:

Recommends brand x computers - the ones he/she happens to make (goes to ability to specialize).

Spends a lot of time on cell phone when at your office (are you paying for that?).

Is always late to appointments, explaining, “An emergency came up.” (Every day?)

Sends an invoice that doesn't spell out what work was one.

Leaves new problems behind every time they visit.

Now, I don't know whether my client with the gynormous “laptop” PC contributed to his own problem. Even if he was uncommunicative, however, it's the consultant's job to learn what the goals are and, better yet, write them down. For example, “Ok, so you want to take a PC that weighs less than five pounds to take back and forth from home to the office, always have all your email and your personal files with you, and you're fine with buying and using one big monitor, standard key board and mouse that you leave at home and an identical set up you leave at the office.”

Computer consultants are not certified by any national nonprofit organization, do not have to pass an exam, do not have to be licensed by the state, can not really get a college degree in what they do and may be busy even if they provide mediocre service. The few consultants I know well enough to recommend don't thank me profusely for referrals because they are already so busy they may not even need new clients. Even so, the rewards for getting the right consultant are high and the penalties for having the wrong one can be even higher, so invest, invest, invest in making the best decision you can.